Chapter 121: The Duck Who Kills with Stockings? Honkai 3rd's New Main Story!
As Pardo entered the game, she skimmed through the game announcement, showing the update details to everyone in the livestream. For players like Pardo, the biggest interests were the main plot and the new Valkyries boarding the ship. After all, Honkai Impact 3rd was a "pretty girl" game, and the girls took up a massive portion of the experience.
"Oh, so that's how the Augment Core works..."
Pardo spent some time understanding the new system and tried out the Augments for Bladestrike and Yamabuki. The "Valkyrie Bladestrike" battlesuit received a brand-new Augment Core system, adjusting numerous skills and attack mechanisms. While maintaining its core characteristic of high combos, it was granted a new combat style. Using the residual power of the Third Herrscher within Mei's body, this reconstructed armor allowed her to wield electromagnetic abilities once more.
Striker Fulminata was positioned as a Biological Physical DPS. With full gear, her mob-clearing ability was incredible. The core gameplay involved building electromagnetic energy with basic attacks and using evasive follow-ups to trigger branch attacks. The fifth hit of her basic sequence restored significant energy, and during branch attacks, players could use the directional keys to attack surrounding enemies flexibly.
The feel of Striker Fulminata was undeniably smooth. Infused with the lightning energy left in Mei's body, her moves crackled with electricity—it was visually stunning. After reaching a certain star level, players could obtain a free "Enhanced Combat Suit" made by Tesla using Anti-Entropy technology. When activated, purple patterns raced across the suit like the light of dawn—hence the name "Fulminata."
[Holy crap! Mei's augment is so cool!]
[This combat suit has so much style! Dr. Tesla's aesthetics are top-tier!]
['Mei's Dog' Super Chat: Bladestrike! Invincible!]
While watching the playtest, Bronya's eyes widened. Even she hadn't expected the finished Striker Fulminata to be so striking. But it made sense; so far, none of the designs in Honkai 3rd had missed the mark.
Bronya's Yamabuki Armor augment, Drive Kometa, made Seele's eyes sparkle.
"Bronya-oneesama is so cool!"
Seeing the armor unleash its ultimate, allowing Project Bunny to start throwing literal punches while creating gravitational black holes to gather enemies for teammates, Seele became genuinely interested in the game. Although she had heard of Honkai 3rd's fame, she hadn't played it yet.
"Does Bronya-oneesama have other armors?" "Of course!"
Pardo immediately showed Seele the others: Chariot, Snowy Sniper, Dimension Breaker... Seele's eyes lit up even more. She looked ready to download the game right that second!
"I didn't expect Bronya-oneesama to have so many cool armors! But... why does the Bronya-oneesama in the game look like this?" Seele was curious. She naturally recognized that the in-game Bronya looked like Bronya during her early teenage years.
[Seele discovered a blind spot!]
[I've been wanting to know too—why is in-game Bronya a flat kuudere loli?]
[It doesn't match the prototype in any sense of the word!]
[What do you mean 'flat loli'? If she's not a flat kuudere, I don't want her!]
[Open up! Police! Come with us!]
Bronya coughed a few times. This question was indeed awkward. She didn't know how to answer—she couldn't just say "Su Mu wrote it that way"... What if Seele had a weird misunderstanding? Fortunately, Seele didn't dwell on it, quickly becoming absorbed in the various armors.
This update also added new characters: Rozaliya Arinyeva and Liliya Arinyeva—the Vodka Girls: Cherry Molotov and Blueberry Blitz!
"Rozaliya and Liliya?!" Seele was startled when she saw them. "They're in this game too?"
The Vodka Girls' design was hilarious. Rozaliya's "Super Headbutt" was comical, while Liliya's ultimate had a parry mechanism, a design clearly meant for high-skill "pro" players to show off.
However, Pardo didn't linger on these characters for long. She was dying to see the main story.
["With the awakening of the Herrscher of the Void, the world plunged into a Great Honkai. In just four months, survivors fled in all directions, seeking refuge."]
["Arc City, a high-tech city built by humanity in Shenzhou, has become their sanctuary."]
As the screen panned, a neon-lit metropolis appeared. This "steel jungle" left many Shenzhou players stunned. Though the in-game Arc City differed from reality, it contained enough landmarks to give them a special sense of immersion.
["Two weeks ago, the Herrscher of the Void was sighted here. To find her whereabouts, both Schicksal and Anti-Entropy have mobilized."]
Rita Rossweisse, wearing the Umbral Rose armor, appeared in the bustling city. Her goal was the wandering Herrscher of the Void!
"Four months have passed..." Pardo sighed. She remembered the CG at the end of Chapter 9, where an unconscious Kiana was washed ashore next to an empty syringe.
Seeing the people displaced by the Great Honkai, the viewers felt heavy-hearted.
[It's all Otto's fault!]
[The scope of this Honkai disaster is bigger than I imagined! Compared to this, the Third and Fourth Herrschers were like child's play...]
[Well, the Herrscher of the Void's power is terrifying. This level of destruction is 'normal' for her...]
[Four months... if the God-Slayer Spear worked, Kiana should have regained consciousness by now, right?]
[But she hasn't regrouped with Theresa. Does that mean Kiana is hiding from everyone?]
Thinking of this, many viewers sighed. They understood why Kiana would hide. With her personality, waking up to realize Himeko-sensei died for her while countless others suffered would be unbearable. She likely couldn't forgive herself and feared the demon inside her might wake up again to hurt those she loved. The thought of Kiana wandering alone for four months made their hearts ache.
"Kiana-chan is so pitiful... dammit, Otto, I really want to punch him in the face!" Pardo waved her small fist, her heart aching for Kiana.
"An idiot like Kiana... she must be spending every day in agony, unable to forgive herself." Bronya sighed too. Though she and Kiana bickered constantly at school, it didn't mean they weren't close. On the contrary, if their relationship was bad, they wouldn't even bother bickering.
"Sigh, I really believed Su Mu's lies back then." Bronya felt a headache coming on. A 'pretty girl' game? It's a 'watch pretty girls suffer' game! You're truly invincible, kid!
Pardo continued playing. In the plot, Rita investigated Arc City. Using Schicksal's intel network, she found a person providing info on the Herrscher—Gray Snake, from an underground organization called World Serpent. Rita intercepted Gray Snake before Theresa could, trying to force him to cooperate via martial force. Gray Snake refused to budge, so Rita killed him.
To get information, Rita left Gray Snake's authentication chip for Theresa's group, knowing the top-tier hacker Bronya would crack the database while Rita waited nearby for them to walk into her trap. When Theresa's group arrived, they found Gray Snake's body. Combining the chip with the light security at the base, Theresa realized a trap had been set but decided to play along.
After obtaining an "Intelligence Android"—a small girl modified with cybernetics—Theresa sent Mei to handle the tail. However, Mei was no match for Rita, who defeated her easily and planted a tracker on her.
[I give up, are we 'bullying Mei' again?]
[The 'Chef' taking an L again today?]
[Wait? Where is the Lightning Queen? Where is the highlight moment for Fulminata?]
[Wake up, brother! Mei is no longer a Herrscher! The Lightning Queen is dead! The Herrscher of the Void took care of that!]
[Angrily shaking! Why must you persecute Mei like this! I'm truly mad!]
Seeing Mei lose again, her fans were furious. What kind of persecution is this! Damn Old Thief Su Mu, what's the meaning of treating our Chef like this? Is Mei destined only to rule over pots and pans? Su Mu must be a Mei-hater!
In the follow-up, Bronya discovered the tracker. Mei gave up on returning to the squad, choosing a diversionary route to mislead Rita. Rita realized the tracker had been found and headed toward a mech convergence point, revealing the power of her Argent Knight: Artemis armor. With the power of the "Fridge Owner" (a meme name), Rita used Gray Snake's bionic eye to take over the android, took the intel, and then formatted the android.
Thus, Theresa's group lost the trail to Kiana. Upon returning to HQ, Rita hid the fact that she had only formatted the android, reporting to Otto that it had been destroyed.
[Hmph, seems this wicked woman has a bit of a conscience.]
[Looks ruthless, but she spared the little girl.]
[Rita's armor is actually really pretty, what if I fall for her?]
[Are you going to defect to Schicksal!]
[How could I! Am I that kind of Captain?]
[Haha, I totally am!]
Rita Rossweisse had been a controversial character since her debut. Some felt she was Otto's accomplice, but others saw she wasn't entirely cold-blooded. She was even "interesting" in some ways—like how she drove Tesla to a breakdown while she was tied to that chair.
Pardo, however, was more focused on the organization "World Serpent." Her expression turned slightly strange. She remembered Kevin owned a security company with the same name. And Gray Snake... was the codename of one of Kevin's subordinates. So, does this World Serpent have something to do with Boss Kevin? Is Boss Kevin the leader of World Serpent in the game?
"I think this World Serpent isn't as simple as it looks."
Pardo knew Su Mu had requested authorization for everyone in the Golden Courtyard. So far, only Fu Hua and Sakura had appeared. If everyone else was in World Serpent, what were their roles? Information brokers traveling the world? It sounded cool, but seeing Gray Snake's fate, Pardo thought otherwise. Being an info-broker is high-risk; you get silenced at the drop of a hat...
Many commenters agreed. In this segment, Theresa's group encountered mechs that didn't belong to Anti-Entropy or Schicksal. If the mechs belonged to World Serpent, it proved they weren't just a simple intelligence agency.
As Pardo suspected, Gray Snake didn't stay dead. In Interlude 2, The Snake Comes from the Darkness, he appeared again. After returning to the Hyperion, Tesla and Einstein used the ship's systems to restore the android's data. At that moment, Cocolia contacted them, asking the crew to come to the Deep End to help her transfer the Gem of Desire, which Schicksal was targeting. Cocolia claimed Otto wanted the Gem to restore the Herrscher of the Void to full power.
During the call, the "dead" Gray Snake hijacked the channel, using the android to seize the Hyperion's main system and hack the Anti-Entropy database. To regain control, Bronya linked with the ship's virtual data space, but Gray Snake used her painful memories to try and break her. However, with the help of a Fenghuang Down feather left by Fu Hua, Bronya broke free and accidentally discovered Anti-Entropy's records of the "Eye of the Deep."
In that space, Bronya saw two people talking. One was Einstein. The other was a man with black-framed glasses, a dark green scarf, a white turtleneck, and a grey trench coat—bearing the Anti-Entropy logo on his belt.
[Wait, isn't that Old Yang?]
[It is! Isn't that Mr. Yang from Anti-Entropy Entertainment? It's really him!]
The viewers recognized him immediately: Welt Yang. "Old Yang" was a celebrity in the gaming circle. Not many CEOs would brag to netizens on the internet like he did. He often posted gameplay recordings and occasionally streamed, though his busy schedule made it rare. He was a respected senior in the industry, and his "HOMU" game platform was world-class.
[I've heard Anti-Entropy has a mysterious Sovereign. Turns out Old Yang is the Sovereign!]
[But it looks like he's doing a dangerous experiment? Is he going to be okay?]
In the dialogue between Einstein and Welt, the "Sea of Quanta" was mentioned, with the Eye of the Deep being a gateway to it. Their talk revealed that a possibility to end the Honkai might exist within the Sea. But the experiment failed, triggering a spatial collapse. Welt used gravity manipulation to neutralize the distortion. The two were pulled into a rift in the Sea of Quanta. Einstein rushed to rendezvous with Welt but witnessed a scene she'd never forget.
Within the rift, a "Snake" from the darkness was speaking to Welt. It radiated an indescribable, terrifying pressure that made even Welt look like he was facing his greatest foe.
["Whether you accept it or not, the Snake shall return, to judge... and to save you!"]
To stop the Snake from invading reality, Welt unleashed the Star of Eden's Zeroth Power, buying time for Einstein to return to reality. He remained in the Sea of Quanta to continue fighting the Snake.
This sequence left the viewers full of questions.
[What exactly is the Sea of Quanta?]
[Why does the Snake want to invade? What is the Snake?]
[Can Old Yang beat it? It doesn't look like something he can handle...]
[As the Sovereign, Welt must have his tricks, right? Surely he won't lose easily?]
They discussed the plot, hooked by the mysteries being thrown at them. Only later would they realize that Old Yang had basically "GG-ed" in that fight and was starting his "respawn match" with the other "jail-tier" characters. (A meme about the recurring "death" of Welt clones).
As Bronya's consciousness returned to reality, the Hyperion returned to normal, and Interlude 2 ended. But it left more questions than answers. Besides the Sea of Quanta, Welt, and the Snake, there was one more thing the audience cared about: Bronya's past. Gray Snake had created nightmare after nightmare, trying to crush Bronya with her memories. This revealed an important fact—Bronya also had an incredibly tragic past.
The game returned to the stage selection. Pardo wanted to continue to Chapter 10, but found it locked. A prompt appeared: Unlock after playing the Chronicle—Azure Sea. Pardo was curious about Bronya's past anyway, so she immediately clicked into the Chronicle.
[Year 2000. Orphaned by the Second Honkai Impact, Bronya was taken in by an unknown military organization from a young age and trained to be a cold-blooded killing machine. As a top performer known as the 'Silver Wolf of the Urals,' she was tasked in January 2012 with assassinating Cocolia, a member of the radical faction of Anti-Entropy.
However, the mission failed. When Bronya woke up, she found herself in the Cocolia Orphanage. A girl named Seele was gently wiping her face with a towel. Cocolia adopted Bronya, becoming her mother. The homeless Silver Wolf became a member of the orphanage. In truth, Cocolia had been a Spetsnaz Captain in 2000; to save these children, she had left the military and established the orphanage with Anti-Entropy's help.]
"Mother Cocolia...?" The in-game plot made Seele look shocked. she turned to Bronya. "Bronya-oneesama, I remember Mother Cocolia was in the military before..."
Bronya didn't know how to answer. She also found it surreal; although some details differed, Mother Cocolia's rank and her reason for building the orphanage were the same. Even the order of adoption—Bronya being after Seele—was perfectly replicated.
"Bronya-oneesama, did you tell Brother Su Mu? Seele can't think of any other possibility. Sister Bronya must be very close to Brother Su Mu to tell him these things. You really trust him." Seele had a gentle smile, but her eyes were frighteningly calm.
"....Mhm...." Bronya didn't want to lie but didn't know how to explain, so she gave a vague response. Her ambiguous attitude added another layer to Seele's gaze.
Following the plot, the viewers understood how Bronya entered the orphanage and met Seele. Then, a scene appeared that left the players dumbfounded!
In March 2012, to save Seele after she was kidnapped by mercenaries hired by a Russian tycoon for her natural Stigma, Bronya went alone to Lake Baikal. She used a "Stocking Assassination Technique" to strangle the mercenary guard! This made the players scream "Wait, you can do that?", and the "Elden Lords" in the chat began to show their devotion.
Relying on her exquisite killing skills, Bronya killed the mercenaries and saved Seele. However, behind the blood-stained Bronya, Seele saw a black shadow radiating an ominous aura! That shadow's silhouette was almost a carbon copy of Seele herself! In her terror, Seele instinctively shouted "Demon," leaving Bronya frozen in place. From then on, Bronya made a promise to Seele never to hurt anyone again.
Watching her in-game self being rescued, Seele looked full of admiration. "Bronya-oneesama is so amazing, just like a hero!"
Pardo nodded. "Yeah, Sister Bronya is incredible. Strangling mercenaries with her bare hands at thirteen or fourteen..." But Pardo sighed. "Though she's amazing, just what kind of hellish training did she go through to develop such killing techniques?"
[Exactly. Bronya didn't hesitate when killing; her movements were practiced. She was a veteran assassin.]
[A thirteen-year-old trained into a soldier... I can't imagine how many displaced orphans like Bronya were turned into killing machines by cruel adults.]
[Bronya was lucky, right? She had talent. I bet most kids didn't make it and died in the Siberian winter...]
Thinking of this, the audience sighed. Mei, Bronya, Kiana... the Trio all had tragic pasts. In fact, among the playable characters so far, those without a tragic backstory were the minority...
Pretty girl game? Healthy and sunny? Positive and uplifting? Heh. Veteran Captains who had played since launch only wanted to roll their eyes and flip the bird to the Old Thief!
END OF CHAPTER
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